War News Radio

06/02/2022

Listen to our latest podcast, "Reporting the Reality: The Taliban’s Threat to Local Journalists" on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Google Podcast.

Local journalists in Afghanistan have the power to expose the reality of life under Taliban rule. Seeking control over the media’s narrative, the Taliban poses a major threat to these journalists, whose jobs and safety are at risk.

In this episode of War News Radio, we interviewed Faisal Karimi, a professor of journalism and communication and the founder and director of Afghanistan Institute for Research and Media Studies, as well as Mohammad Asef Ghafoory, a journalist and professor in Afghanistan with experience in radio, television, and international media. They explain the history of journalism in Afghanistan and how it has changed dramatically with Taliban rule. They also discuss the safety implications that this shift has on their lives and those of other journalists.

05/23/2022

"Forgotten Conflict: The Tigray War" investigates the Tigray War in Ethiopia. We interviewed Emily Paddon Rhoads and David Shinn, who discuss the roots of the conflict, the human impact, and the misconceptions and implications of the war.

Listen on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Google Podcast
https://warnewsradio.org/2022/05/forgotten-conflict-the-tigray-war/

04/12/2022

Check out our latest podcast, "Identity and Impact: Perspectives on Being an Afghan Refugee." Listen at our website, Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Google Podcast.

https://warnewsradio.org/2022/04/identity-and-impact-perspectives-on-being-an-afghan-refugee/

03/29/2022

Check out our latest podcasts, "Academics Reflect on the War in Afghanistan" and "Playing for Peace: Afghan Musicians’ Perspectives on Taliban Rule."

Listen at https://warnewsradio.org/2022/02/academics-reflect-on-the-war-in-afghanistan/ and https://warnewsradio.org/2022/03/playing-for-peace-afghan-musicians-perspectives-on-taliban-rule/, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

07/29/2021

A decade has elapsed since the protests that sparked the Arab Spring and ousted Tunisia’s long-standing dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Despite significant democratic reforms in the North African nation, Tunisians are still taking to the streets en masse in 2021.

To understand why, in this episode, War News Radio speaks with Narimen Zorgui, a student and activist in Tunisia who grew up amidst the 2011 revolution. She has witnessed first-hand the nation’s evolution from a stable but repressive dictatorship to the wavering democracy it is today*. We also hear from Ghaya Ben Mbarek, a Tunisian journalist who covers political and social issues, including the Tunisian police’s human rights abuses — despite the hostility and repression critics often face.
https://warnewsradio.org/2021/07/revolution-revisited-why-tunisians-are-still-protesting-ten-years-after-the-arab-spring/

Revolution, Revisited: Why Tunisians are still protesting ten years after the Arab Spring by Zane IrwinPosted onJuly 27, 2021 Student Activist Narimen Zorgui snaps a selfie in front of Tunisian riot police for social media (Credit: Narimen Zorgui) A decade has elapsed since the protests that sparked...

01/26/2021

In this episode of War News Radio, we’re taking a closer look at two of the Pacific territories, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, whose historical relationships to the United States are defined by conflict and colonialism. This has drastically disrupted the lives of the native Chamorro people who have inhabited Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the rest of the Mariana Islands archipelago for the past 4-5,000 years. There are cultural and historical differences between Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, which led to Guam rejecting reunification with the Northern Mariana Islands in 1960. But both territories still face many of the same challenges today.

The U.S. acquired Guam from the Spanish in 1899 after winning the Spanish-American War. The Northern Mariana Islands has a more complicated colonial history, and was passed more or less from the Spanish Empire to Germany, then Japan, then the United Nations, and was officially established as a commonwealth in political union with the United States in 1986. Although the pasts of the two territories differ, the relationship between the U.S. and both territories has been historically characterized by intense militarization, a trend that continues to this day. But increasing calls for decolonization and self-determination could be changing this dynamic. In order to understand this shift happening in the pacific territories, we talked to residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands about colonial history, militarism, political representation, and more.

This episode of War News Radio was written and produced by Anya Slepyan, Sophia Becker, Max Winig, and Lucas Meyer-Lee.

https://warnewsradio.org/2021/01/foreign-in-a-domestic-sense/

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and more by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories.

01/23/2021

The asylum process in the United States has been in the national spotlight consistently over the past four years, centering on the Trump administration’s grave mistreatment of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and its policy of family separation. But what actually is the asylum process, how is it supposed to work, and where has it gone wrong? In this episode, we talk to M, a Cameroonian asylee who has seen both the way the asylum process should work and the many ways in which it does not. While M was granted asylum after fleeing Cameroon, her brother remains detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement with no end in sight. We also talk to Philippe Weisz, Managing Attorney at HIAS Pennsylvania, about the current legal process of granting asylum and the myriad challenges asylum seekers face before and after arriving in the United States.

This episode of War News Radio was written and produced by Zane Irwin and Nick Hirschel-Burns. Thank you to Philippe Weisz of HIAS Pennsylvania and M for speaking with us.

https://warnewsradio.org/2021/01/opaque-and-unforgiving-americas-inhumane-asylum-system/

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and more by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories.

01/15/2021

A Kingdom in Peril: Perspective on the 2020 Protests from Thai Youth

Anti-government protests in Thailand rocked the nation in 2020. The protests that began with anger at the dissolution of a political party, have found mass appeal including the unprecedented public demand to reform the Thai monarchy and a call to draft a new constitution. We speak with a Peera, a freelance journalist and Jason, a student studying abroad who both grew up in Thailand. We get their perspectives of the political landscape on the ground that spurned the demonstrations and what it is like to live under the rule of a monarchy where any public criticism is taboo.

This episode was reported by the War News Radio team, written by Louie Kant, Sophia Peterson, Martin Tomilson and Bryce Bussert, and produced by Jaydeep Sangha.

Image: “Pro-democracy protestors flash three fingered salute” (from Gemunu Amarasinghe via AP)

https://warnewsradio.org/2021/01/a-kingdom-in-peril-perspective-on-the-2020-protests-from-thai-youth/

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and more by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories.

06/27/2020

When the U.S. drew down its military presence in Northeast Syria last fall, it was a huge blow to the region’s predominantly Kurdish populace. However, it was “not the first time the Kurds ha[d] been betrayed by the American government,” according to Nejeer Zebari. In the second of two episodes on the Kurds’ external conflicts and internal tensions, we explore divisions among Kurds, Turkey’s relationship with the Kurds, and conflicting visions of a Kurdish future.

This episode was reported by the War News Radio team, written by Lucas Meyer-Lee, Sophia Peterson, and Nick Hirschel-Burns, and produced by Ross Layton.

Note: War News Radio's activities for Spring 2020 were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second part of a two-part abbreviated series on the Kurds, based on interviews and research conducted over the last few months. Thank you for listening to WNR, and we'll be back in the fall!

https://warnewsradio.org/2020/06/a-nation-among-states-part-2/

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and more by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories.

12/14/2019

Reconciliation in Colombia: Moving Forward after the 2016 Peace Deal

The 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was hailed as a historic agreement, with then-president Juan Manuel Santos awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Three years later, the reality is far murkier. What can be done to continue moving forward toward a peaceful future for Colombia? War News Radio’s Bryce Bussert and Nick Hirschel-Burns investigate.

Link to the podcast: https://warnewsradio.org/2019/12/reconciliation-in-colombia-moving-forward-after-the-2016-peace-deal/

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and more by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories.

12/08/2019

The Impact of New Trump Administration Policy Changes on Refugee Resettlement

Refugees and refugee resettlement agencies are facing incredible uncertainty following measures by the Trump administration to significantly curtail refugee entry to the lowest admittance since the 1970s. To gain a better perspective the impact these policy changes have on refugees and resettlement agencies, we speak with Stephanie Gromek, the communications coordinator for Church World Service, one of the largest refugee resettlement organizations in the United States. In this episode we also chat with Hamzeh Alturk, a Syrian student now studying at Miami Dade College following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War. Hamzeh shares his own experiences which help to better comprehend the challenges and aspirations a displaced person might face.

Link to our podcast: https://warnewsradio.org/2019/12/the-impact-of-new-trump-administration-policy-changes-on-refugee-resettlement/

This piece was produced by Jaydeep Sangha, and narrated by Siddharth Srivatsan, Alexandra Thomas, Jeff Duncan, and Yusa Parcali

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and more by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories.

05/12/2019

SECRET INTERNMENT CAMPS AND POLITICAL REPRESSION: CHINA’S BRUTAL CRACKDOWN ON THE UIGHURS

http://warnewsradio.org/2019/05/12/secret-internment-camps-and-political-repression-chinas-brutal-crackdown-on-the-uighurs/

More than a million members of the Uighur community in China have been detained in secret internment camps in by the Chinese government. Reports from the region indicate mass political repression and a widespread crackdown on the ethnic Uighur minority. The Chinese government tightly controls any access to the Chinese controlled Xinjiang autonomous region, so information is limited through hearing first and second hand accounts by Uighurs. In this episode we do just that, and speak to Nury Turkel, an attorney and the founder of the the Washington D.C. based Uighur Human Rights Project. With his help, we try to understand the conditions on the ground faced by Uighurs in China and the political dynamics surrounding the crackdown.

This piece was produced by Jaydeep Sangha, Gabrielle Henig, Nick Hirschel-Burns, and Lisa Kato.

04/23/2019

Important: Searching for our site on Google is redirecting people to another webpage, and it appears that there is another site that is posing as us/hacking our site. We are looking into this problem immediately. Until then, please listen on Spotify or try going directly to www.warnewsradio.org instead of searching for us on Google.

http://warnewsradio.org

04/20/2019

Keton Kakkar, a current senior at Swarthmore, interviews his parents who emigrated from Afghanistan almost 40 years ago. Part of the Hindu minority in Afghanistan, they fled persecution and a new upheaval: the Soviet invasion of 1979. In this episode, Keton explores themes of changing landscapes, religious identity, emigration, and relocation.

This episode was produced by Keton Kakkar, Jake Stattel, Rohit Nair, and Kyle Richmond-Crosset. Listen at the link below or on Spotify!

http://warnewsradio.org/2019/04/18/exodus-from-afghanistan-my-parents-story/

03/28/2019

Listen to our new piece discussing the ways that reef scientists grapple with the decay of corals around the world.

Listen on our website: http://warnewsradio.org/2019/03/27/hope-grief-and-coral-reefs/
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/26yHOJteTFBdxIZPG8smIQ?si=AAFRdgJFSKKJnXrhECbzXw

Climate change poses an existential threat to coral reefs, which undergird the survival of many marine animals and the livelihood of coastal communities. In this podcast, we turn our attention to two reef scientists: how do they approach research when the world they study is degrading before their eyes?

Our host, Ben Charo, begins this episode discussing his journey to produce this story. If you would like to skip to the main story, go to 4:30. At the end of the piece, Ben shares the stories and insights he has gleaned from his fellowship research in Townsville, Australia.

This piece was produced by Ben Charo, Katherine Kwok, and Serena Sung-Clarke. We’d like to shout out to Meagan Currie, Jake Stattel, and Kyle Richmond-Crosset for their help. Our background music is by Blue Dot Sessions (via Free Music Archive). The news clips are from BBC, ABC Australia, and PBS News Hour. The sound effects are by HDvideoguy, LittleRainySeasons, and Kinoton via freesound.org. Special thanks to Dr. Scott Heron and Zack Rago.

03/09/2019

Take a listen to our latest piece on the War in Yemen at the link below, Spotify, or Podbean:

The now four year long civil war in Yemen has devastated the Yemeni people killing almost 100,000 people and leading to widespread famine. We take an in-depth look at the politics and history surrounding the conflict and how that has produced one of the most extreme humanitarian crises in the world. This podcast explores the current state of the Yemeni Civil War speaking with Fatik Al-Rodhani, a Yemeni journalist and humanitarian activist on the ground in Sana’a. This piece was produced by Jaydeep Sangha, Nick Hirschel-Burns, Yusa Parcali, and Lisa Kato.

http://warnewsradio.org/2019/03/09/dreaming-of-peace-in-yemen/

The now four year long civil war in Yemen has devastated the Yemeni people killing almost 100,000 people and leading to widespread famine. We take an in-depth look at the politics and history surro…

02/16/2019

Thanks to everyone who came out to the workshop today!

12/22/2018

We are now on Spotify- check it out!

Episodes will continue to be posted here and at our website www.warnewsradio.org, so if you don't have a Spotify, you will still be kept up-to-date with our reporting.

War News Radio fills the gaps in the media's coverage of the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond by providing balanced and in-depth reporting, historical perspective, and personal stories. by War News Radio from Swarthmore College